Mexico to meet Guyana in World Cup qualifier at BBVA Compass Stadium

Updated 8:07 pm, Monday, October 1, 2012

The Mexican national team is known for its ability to draw a crowd in Houston.

The Mexican national team is known for its ability to draw a crowd in Houston.

Photo: Nick De La Torre

Mexico to meet Guyana in World Cup qualifier at BBVA Compass Stadium

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The Mexican national soccer team, accustomed to playing before green-clad sellout crowds at Reliant Stadium, is headed to BBVA Compass Stadium for the first time.

Mexico will play a World Cup qualifier against Guyana on Oct. 12 at the Dynamo's stadium.

It's the third international match in the brief history of the venue. The Dynamo played Spanish La Liga member Valencia this year.

"Any time you get a chance to host a World Cup qualifier, it's a big deal," said BBVA Compass Stadium general manager Doug Hall. "Certainly, adding Mexico to it takes it to another level."

The Guyana Soccer Federation sold the rights to the match to promoters SponSports and Planet Futbol, which brought the El Salvador-New Zealand game in May for the first international match at BBVA.

Last week, the Mexican Federation announced the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., as the site of the match, for which Guyana is the home team. But talks between the promoters and stadium officials broke down late last week. SponSports and Planet Futbol then reached out to Hall.

By Saturday, the sides were close to finalizing a deal to bring the game to BBVA Compass Stadium. The deal was completed Monday after CONCACAF approved the venue.

With the cheapest seat going for $70, tickets will go on sale to the general public at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.

A sellout crowd of 22,039 is expected, and the secondary-ticket market should also be hopping with folks wanting to watch the country that won its first Olympic gold medal in soccer at the London Games.

Mexico, which beat Guyana 3-1 in Mexico this summer, leads Group B with a 4-0 record (12 points) and is the first CONCACAF team to secure a spot in the next round of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Guyana is last in Group B with one point on a tie and three losses.

"We expect to be sold out in fairly short order," Hall said.

Although the U.S. Soccer Federation has avoided playing a World Cup qualifier in Houston because many CONCACAF rivals have huge fan bases here, Houston is attractive for promoters looking to capitalize on Mexico's popularity.

In 2008, the Belize Soccer Federation moved its World Cup qualifier against Mexico to Reliant Stadium. Mexico won 2-0 before a pro-Mexico crowd of 50,137.

The 2012 London Olympic champions have made at least one visit to Houston each year since 2007, including a victory over Venezuela this past Jan. 25 at Reliant. Mexico beat Honduras in the 2011 Gold Cup semifinals at Reliant Stadium on June 22, 2011.

"We want to be the home for soccer in the city of Houston," Hall said. "A World Cup qualifier is a fantastic opportunity. When BBVA Compass Stadium was coming off the drawing board, these were the types of matches we certainly hoped we could land."